The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working life of nearly every American. Millions have lost their jobs, permanently or temporarily, and millions more have been furloughed until the pandemic can be controlled and they can (potentially) be called back to work.
Those changes have received a lot of attention, and rightly so. Millions of Americans who still have their jobs have faced big changes as well. The most widely covered has been the work-from-home (WFH) trend and the teleconferences that companies use to keep workers connected and the business going.
WFH is both popular with employees who are able to do it and has been well-managed by employers. Yet, that popularity has led to changes in employees’ daily routines, or what could be called the work-life balance.
Job and recruiting website Glassdoor.com recently sifted through work-life balance ratings submitted by current and former employees between March 1 and September 30. Among the key findings was that “work-life balance is closely tied to employee well-being and mental health.” The firm noted that, in July, discussions of mental health and similar topics had risen by 42% in just six months.
WFH, especially through a time as difficult as the pandemic, blurs the line between a person’s work life and home or family life. A recent survey by Morning Consult found that 68% of employees who are currently able to work remotely have experienced “very” or “somewhat” significant changes to their daily routines.
The U.S. companies that have maintained the best work-life balance, according to the results of Glassdoor’s analysis, have acknowledged the difficulties of maintaining a daily routine in times like these. While WFH plays a big role, for employees who cannot perform their jobs from the kitchen table, flexible working hours are important for employees who have customer-facing jobs. That’s why seventh-rated Bergstrom Automotive, an automobile dealership based in Wisconsin, is the only retail operation among the top 20 firms for work-life balance.
Here’s Glassdoor’s listing of the 20 companies with the best work-life balance ratings during the pandemic. The highest possible score is 5, and no U.S. company achieved that score.
| Rank | Employer | Industry | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acuity Insurance | Insurance | 4.9 |
| 2 | Digital Prospectors | Tech | 4.8 |
| 3 | Ryan | Accounting | 4.8 |
| 4 | AppFolio | Tech | 4.8 |
| 5 | CoverMyMeds | Health Care | 4.8 |
| 6 | Lendio | Finance | 4.8 |
| 7 | Bergstrom Automotive | Retail | 4.8 |
| 8 | OutboundEngine | Advertising & Marketing | 4.7 |
| 9 | Life.Church | Nonprofit | 4.7 |
| 10 | Blue Raven Solar | Energy | 4.7 |
| 11 | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Government | 4.7 |
| 12 | Box | Tech | 4.7 |
| 13 | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | Health Care | 4.6 |
| 14 | Slack | Tech | 4.6 |
| 15 | eXp Realty | Real Estate | 4.6 |
| 16 | Appriss | Tech | 4.6 |
| 17 | DocuSign | Tech | 4.6 |
| 18 | SAP | Tech | 4.5 |
| 19 | Zoom Video Communications | Tech | 4.5 |
| 20 | AIDS Healthcare Foundation | Health Care | 4.5 |
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